Wisdom Teeth

and wisdom tooth removal

With exceptions, the average adult person has 32 teeth. Wisdom teeth are the last teeth to develop and erupt into the mouth. It is not uncommon for some people to be congenitally missing their wisdom teeth. When wisdom teeth have enough space to align properly and patients can adequately keep them clean, they do not require removal.

Unfortunately, this is does not generally happen. The extraction of wisdom teeth is required when they will not erupt properly into the mouth. Whether poorly positioned, growing sideways, or there is simply not enough space, ignoring the advisement of extraction from your pediatric dentist, orthodontist or oral surgeon is dangerous to the patient.

If ignored, bacteria can gather, resulting in infection, or cysts can develop and cause further implications for the patient.

Evaluation

We will evaluate your oral and maxillofacial growth and development periodically by taking a panoramic radiograph. This radiograph allows us to see the positioning of the wisdom teeth in correlation to other teeth and oral maxillofacial landmarks.

Once your wisdom have been noted as present, we will typically refer you to an oral surgeon for evaluation. The oral surgeon may decide to monitor your wisdom teeth for future extraction.

Removal

The removal of wisdom teeth can vary in complexity depending upon the position of the teeth. Winston Salem, NC and the surrounding areas are fortunate to have many highly qualified oral surgeons.

The oral surgeon can provide numerous levels of sedation to provide you with the ultimate comfort during the removal of wisdom teeth. We refer and communicate regularly with multiple offices in the area.